Is it Prohibited to Marry Someone Guilty of Zinaa (Adultery/Fornication)?

Question:

A girl and I committed zina a few months back. We are in the process of getting married very soon. Is it permissible for me to marry the girl I committed zina with? Is it obligatory for her to repent before we get married? She will definitely repent but I want to know if its required in order us to marrry. I read this on islamqa.com.

Answer:

All praise is to Allah Most High who has shown us right from wrong, in order that we may benefit both in this life and in the next life.

Zina (either illicit fornication for those never-before-married, or adultery for those who have been married) is one of the vilest and gravest sins a Muslim can commit, after ascribing partners with Allah, murder, and disobedience to one’s parents. In the Qur’an, right after the prohibition of killing one’s children, Allah Most High says:

“And do not even go close to Zina! Truly, it is a gross obscenity and an evil path (to go down).” [al-Quran, 17:32]

This verse is not just about prohibiting the act of zina itself, rather, we are told not even to go near it through anything that may lead or invite to it. This is why the pre-marital contact of an unrelated man and woman for unnecessary reasons is not allowed in Islam, even if marriage is the eventual goal.

However, if anyone has fallen into committing this act (and may Allah save us), know that Allah is so Merciful and He is ready to accept the repentance of those who are truly remorseful and commit themselves not to repeat the act again. He, Most High, says:

“And those who, after they had committed a gross obscenity [ie. zina], or wronged themselves [by what approaches it, such as kissing], remembered Allah, and then sought forgiveness for their sins – and who forgives sins except Allah? – and they did not continue in committing it, knowing fully-well [it was a sin]:

For those people, their recompense is a great forgiveness from their Lord! And gardens underneath which rivers flow! They will be in there forever! What a wonderful reward for those who act for Allah!”

[al-Quran, 2:135-136, interpretation from Jalalayn and Tabari]]

It is definitely a step in the right direction that you both have turned away from this and are now working to get married soon. Both of you, not just the woman, should repent from what has passed and make a firm commitment not to come near to a situation where it might happen again. However, the direct answer to your question is that it isn’t a legal requirement that one repent (which is an inward act between a servant and Allah) in order for the marriage to be valid (which is an outward action).

That being said, it is still obligatory to repent in any case, and to do so before marriage is not so much of a technical requirement as some opinions say, but rather something strongly encouraged for the couple get on the right footing with Allah Most High as they embark on the sacred journey of being husband and wife. Now, we’ll look at the reasons why the majority of scholars say this, and the verse of the Quran which concerns the issue.

The Verse Concerning Marriage With Those Who Commit Zina

Allah Most High says:

“A man guilty of adultery or fornication does not marry other than a woman guilty of adultery or fornication, or an idolatress, and as for a woman who committed adultery or fornication, no one but a man who committed adultery or fornication, or an idolater, marries her. And that has been prohibited for the Believers.” [al-Quran 24:3]

The opinion that you read (on islamqa.com) says that this verse is a prohibition against the marriage of a Believer with someone guilty of zina, until the adulterer repents, thereby being cleansed of the sin and no longer being an adulterer. This is based on the taking the statement “it has been prohibited” at one of its literal and apparent meanings and applying it to marriage. Some Hanbali scholars held this view.

However, the majority of scholars have said that this is not a prohibition in terms of validity of marriage, but rather they interpret the verse in many different ways.

Al-Suyuti in Tafseer al-Jalaalayn points out that the beginning of the verse speaks about who is appropriate for marriage to another due to their character; that the only person who would want to marry an adulterer is one who has similar inclinations or makes light of the sin of zina, or a person who is not a Muslim and therefore does not see zina as being unlawful and sinful in the first place. The suitability of a man and woman of this nature is repeated twice to show emphasis on how detestable the act and its consensual perpetrators are, and it also highlights that this stigma is not attached only to the male or female alone (as is sometimes sadly observed in some cultures).

Al-Suyuti goes on to say that the prohibition on the Believers was initially meant to address a situation in which some very poor Muslim Emigrants to Medina had wanted to get married to women who were pagans and known prostitutes, so that they might benefit from those women’s earnings to survive. Hence, the verse was revealed to prohibit this, and he says that the prohibition of marrying anyone who had once committed adultery was abrogated by a later command which said “and marry the single ones from amongst you.”[al-Quran, 24:32]

That does not mean however, that it is of no consequence to marry someone who is unrepentant about their adultery, nor that a chaste person should marry such a person.

Al-Shaukani in Fath al-Qadeer lists 7 different interpretations, one of them being that the verse is simply commending the most commonly observed trend, which is that a chaste person would not usually want to marry someone who was unremorsefully unchaste. He also mentions that the verse is in reference specifically to people to whom zina has become a way of life and even a way of earning. Some transmissions of prohibiting the marriage of two fornicators to each other exist from some Companions, but conflicting narrations from some of those same Companions and the rulings of many of the Imams of the Salaf (such as al-Shafi’i and Abu Haneefa) who knew the Companion’s opinions better than we do today, show that this prohibition was not conclusive or absolute.

Ibn Katheer in his tafseer quotes a narration attributed to Ibn ‘Abbas which indicates that the word “to marry” in this verse (yankiHu) actually takes its other literal meaning, which is “to have intercourse”, so that the verse reads “(illicit intercourse) is prohibited for the Believers”. Al-Tabari says that the verse was revealed to speak about a specific brothel which was frequented by non-Muslims and adulterers, and that the Muslims were forbidden from visiting houses the likes of those. Al-Baghawi even mentions specific people for whom the verse was revealed initially. To summarize, a casual glance through many other tafseers will reveal that while most mufassireen (commentators on the Qu’ran) reported a variety of reasons and interpretations of the verse, the most common interpretations were either one compatibility and censure, or a prohibition that was later abrogated in that same surah.

Some Reports on this Issue

Reports of the sayings of the Companions and Followers on this issue are plentiful.

Daraqutni reports, in part of a hadeeth, from Aisha that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a man who committed zina with a woman, and then wanted to marry her. Part of the reply was, “Something unlawful (zina) does not make prohibited that which is lawful (marriage)…”

He also reports that Ibn Abbas, regarding a man who had committed zina with a woman and then married her, said, “The first part of [the relationship] was fornication (al-sifaah) and the last part of it was lawful Islamic marriage (al-nikaah). The first part was unlawful, and the last part was lawful.” In another riwayah, he said “there is no harm in it”, and that a similar meaning had been reported from ‘Umar, Abu Hurayara and Jabir (may Allah be well pleased with them all), though saying there is “no harm in it” doesn’t necessarily show that it is liked or recommended.

‘Abd al-Razzaq in his Musannaf also relates from Ibn ‘Abbas, on the same issue that a man committed zina with a woman then married her, that he said, “Then that (marriage) is better”, and in another narration, “Now he did the right thing!”, and “What’s disliked about that?”

He goes on to report that Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) said, “There is no better repentance than that he marries her- (after all) they both went from fornication to Islamic marriage.” [This last report contains an unidentified narrator but its concept and wisdom is amply supported by other reports]. Although there are fewer reports about ‘Aisha and Ibn Mas’ud not allowing such a marriage, perhaps they can be interpreted as recommendations rather than laws, or that the wisdom is for both people to start fresh with other people rather than build their marriage on wrong actions or to discourage the validating of pre-marital relationships. Either way, repentance as a technical requirement to validate the marriage is not established according to the majority.

Amongst the Sunni schools of law, the Hanafi school (as well as the Shafi’i and Maliki schools) rules the permissibility of the marriage of two adulterers [Tabyeen al Haqaiq, al-Zayla’i]. One proof says that the verse in the Quran intends to prohibit intercourse rather than marriage with an adulterer, as it would otherwise seem to recommend that a fornicating muslim can actually marry a non-believing idolater, and there is no such valid marriage between the two as is decisively established in Islam, and so the meaning is carried upon intercourse in order to outlaw zina, and not marriage, to an adulterer. However, the opinion of some Hanbali jurists that repentance is required is good in its meaning because it forces the two people to recognize their wrong and repent to start their marriage on a fresh footing.

One might say however, that the intention to make up for the wrong one has done by doing in its place what is good and chaste, by getting married, is itself a commendable act that shows regret for what was done in the past, though correcting a wrong must be joined by sincere taubah and a promise never to return to the sin again. It should also be clear that there is also no obligation for the two parties to continue on with marriage after an illicit relationship; rather, one should marry someone who they feel has a good Islamic character and a desire to live a righteous life.

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35 Comments

It is prohibited to marry an unchaste person as chastity is a general requirement for marriage in Islam.

Even though people try their best to twist the clear evidences, it is mentioned in Quran very clearly by following verse

[5:5] Today, all good food is made lawful for you. The food of the people of the scripture is lawful for you. Also, you may marry the chaste women among the believers, as well as the chaste women among the followers of previous scripture, provided you pay them their due dowries. You shall maintain chastity, not committing adultery, nor taking secret lovers. Anyone who rejects faith, all his work will be in vain, and in the Hereafter he will be with the losers.

This in fact insist the clear meaning of what was mention in

“A man guilty of adultery or fornication does not marry other than a woman guilty of adultery or fornication, or an idolatress, and as for a woman who committed adultery or fornication, no one but a man who committed adultery or fornication, or an idolater, marries her. And that has been prohibited for the Believers.” [al-Quran 24:3]

Also, the person committed such sin cannot decide based on his understanding to marry a chaste person. If the chaste person is having the understanding of marrying such person is haram, then even the scholar giving a verdict is guilty of promoting cheating, as the unchaste person marries the chaste person by hiding his past action, this in fact clear cheating.

Infact I married a woman and divorced her after knowing that she was unchaste despite of her claim that she repented for the sin. Because I cannot trust a cheater and clear repentant according to islam is getting the punishment in public. Because only this guaranty that allah had forgiven such sin and person is sin free. Other ways if allah wills he will forgive and if not he will not. So such cannot be taken as guaranteed method of forgiveness

In short, if you are unchaste never marry a chaste Muslim, find someone who committed same kind of sin and want to repent and live. Its good for you!

Brother Muhammad how do you know tha Allah does not forgive such sins if not followed by the punishment. You said you divorced your wife but do you know that might be in Allah’s sight she is superior to you. She has repented so ofcourse Allah has forgiven her. It is clearly mentioned in he Quran that Alah forgives all the major and mino sins when one repents. Sorry to say but in your comment I saw nothing but the proud as if you consider yourself a non sinner!

This article fail to published what I have posted, this kind of article promotes zina indirectly by easing the rules concerning zina. It is haram to marry a zania and by twisting the clear evidences this article promotes zina making it as an easily forgivable sin and promoting divorce in the ummah.
1. islam advices to marry chaste woman (5:5)
2. islam prohibits to marry zania (24:3)
3. Guaranteed way of tawbah to zina is public punishment (hadith)
4. the rule “Something unlawful (zina) does not make prohibited that which is lawful (marriage)…” cannot apply in marriage of a kafir, similarly it cannot apply marring a zania. Because allah has forbidden both
5. Can a person tell openly “he/she commited zina , and marry a person” if not, this article promotes lying and cheating
Foolish scholars like this are the reason behind many divorces in the society. Because people hide their past and marry a chaste person, finally ending up in divorce. In fact I am a victim of such due to foolish article like this
I warn the auther to take away this article, if not I will promote zawaj.com as a unislamic site and promoting indecency and problems in the society. This is a clear warning !

Mohamed, this is a scholarly article that quotes authoritative sources such as Al-Suyuti, Al-Shaukani, Ibn Katheer and even Ibn Abbas (RA), the great Sahabi and mufassir of the Quran. And you dare to refer to these people as “foolish scholars” and “twisting” the Quran? Astaghfirullah! You should really be ashamed.

Islam has room for more than one opinion, and it is not according to your preference or desire. The article most certainly does not ease the prohibition against zinaa or make it minor, as it says quite clearly, “This verse is not just about prohibiting the act of zina itself, rather, we are told not even to go near it through anything that may lead or invite to it. This is why the pre-marital contact of an unrelated man and woman for unnecessary reasons is not allowed in Islam, even if marriage is the eventual goal.”

I will certainly not remove the article and I do not respond to blackmail or threats. If you want to make gheebah and cause fitnah, go ahead, Allah is watching you.

wael
Difference in opinion cannot take place in explicit ayah of quran. Also order of priority in Islamic jurisprudence is quran, then hadith, then ijmah as sahaba. Any clear revelation is not subjected to difference of opinion (ijthihad)
let allah judge who is creating fithnah!
Mean time, it’s good that you didn’t remove what I have written, because any unchaste person proceeding on a marriage with chaste person by hiding their past will think twice to do so. Because not everybody agree on what was written, an they feel its not correct based on strong and valid reason as per them.
Always remember the chaste person must accept the unchaste for such a marriage to be successful. Any readers favor what was written in above article can proceed keeping this in mind. i dont want any of my brother or sister be a victim like me.

I don’t understand how could a chaste muslim who has controlled his/her desires and temptations can marry an unchaste muslim who have submitted to his/her desires .
It is clearly said in quranic quotation that

“A man guilty of adultery or fornication does not marry other than a woman guilty of adultery or fornication, or an idolatress, and as for a woman who committed adultery or fornication, no one but a man who committed adultery or fornication, or an idolater, marries her. And that has been prohibited for the Believers.” [al-Quran 24:3]

Yes, but we must also understand the interpretation of the Quran. The scholars have explained that this ayah refers to someone who is unrepentant and continues to engage in immoral conduct. Such a person is not an appropriate match for a chaste Muslim. The ayah does not apply to someone who has made tawbah and now lives a clean life.

what about this is ayat 23 what about the preceededing ayat that says except that repent.
How can a guy who has repented find a women that was adulterer and has repented, if not how is he supposed to continue on his path of repenteness. Is he supposed to forget marriage and risk falling on same path

Mohammed raises a valid point if not in the correct way, the context is valid.

Where is the justice in a man/woman remaining chaste (never committing zina or coming near it) to end up marrying someone who is unchaste (someone who committed zina and then repented).

Regardless of whether they have repented for the crime of zina or not, it’s hard to justify an unchaste marrying a chaste.

I also agree one of the biggest reasons for divorce (at least in my culture) is the fact that a person has hidden their past (as they rightly should) but was later found out.

I think overall the best solution is as the Quran states the fornicators are for the fornicators and the chaste are for the chaste (Sura An Nisa).

I really do not see the justice in a chaste person marrying an unchaste person, even if the unchaste person has repented it does not take that given them their virginity back and the chaste person 99% of the time has remained chaste in the hope that they would end up with someone of a likewise background.

John, it’s not a matter of justice. These are social relationships. People are free to do whatever they like within the bounds that Allah has set. If one person has made tawbah for past sins and now lives a pure lifestyle, and if the other person can overlook this past behavior and is not bothered by it, then who are you to judge them and tell them their marriage is not “just”? If they care for each other and they are happy together, then Alhamdulillah.

On the other hand if one person is bothered by a prospective partner’s past, then he is free to choose someone else.

As I explained, the Quranic ayah that you mentioned refers to someone who is engaged in ongoing sinful behavior or has not repented for past behavior. That was the understanding of the sahabah. Remember that tawbah wipes out sins. Islam is not a religion of grudges.

People are free to do as they please and make their own choices, within Allah’s limits.

Assalamu alaikum
this article is completely against the holy Qu’ran. Any zani or zaaniyah is forbidden for marriage to the believers and chaste muslims. Read surah Nur the answer is given there. A valid sunnah recording states that a man who has been flogged because of zina should marry such a similar woman guilty of zina.

Sis22, so you are a scholar who can interpret the Quran? Do you understand the Quran better than ibn Abbas and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them)? SubhanAllah. Such arrogance. Try to be humble and learn something.

Indeed the zani is forbidden to one who is chaste. But what is the Islamic definition of a zani? The answer is that it is someone who is actively engaged in the sin of zinaa, i.e. living a sinful lifestyle. It does not refer to someone who committed sins in the past then made tawbah.

(It is very important to note and reiterate that the Questioner is equally GUILTY of Zina as much as as the girl – if not more.)

2). We are in the process of getting married very soon.

(It is a very good news that the Questioner and the Girl are going to set the record straight in this world which will hopefully do the same for them in their hereafter.

3). Is it permissible for me to marry the girl I committed zina with?

(I DO have problem with the TONE of this question. What is he [the Questioner] trying to say here? Has he forgotten that he is equally GUILTY / RESPONSIBLE for the Zina as much as the girl – if not more? If the girl was non-Muslim THEN the Questioner should have THOUGHT TWICE before committing Zina as he should have known better about the consequences. AND if the Girl is a Muslimah then she should have known better too. Focusing solely upon GIRLS’s repentance by the Questioner gives the impression that not only he is being hypocritical but also trying to absolve himself from the GRAVE SIN (Zina) he committed to get married with a VIRGIN girl.)

4). Is it obligatory for her to repent before we get married?

(Why would he like to emphasize upon the girl to repent? Is he going to repent or has he repented already? The questioner has not made that very clear.)

5). She will definitely repent but I want to know if its required in order us to marry.

(Both, the Questioner and the Girl should repent and that would be excellent and if both of them could get married and live happily hereafter WITHOUT accusing one another of what transpired BEFORE the marriage as the repentance and forgiveness is always better.

Presently I don’t have the means to cross check with al-suyuthi’s Tafseer al-Jalaalayn. However i cannot accept the ayah [al-Quran 24:3] is abrogated by [al-Quran, 24:32], that is by “and marry the single ones from amongst you.” This is because there is no evidence to say that this infact abrogated the 24:3. It simply prohibits marrying woman who are already married or proposed. Mean time it’s not specifying which “single woman” is allowed or prohibited, for example marrying sister in law is prohibited even though she is single. The same applies to a zania. even though zaniyah is single, still not allowed to marry her. In addition to this, as Mohamed pointed out above (al-quran 5:5) clearly mentioning the requirement for selecting a chaste person in marriage.

This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them. (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time― when ye give them their due dowers, and desire chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues. If anyone rejects faith, fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good) (quran 5:5)

Ibu kathir writes in his tafseer regarding 5:5 as follows
Allah said, ((Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers) The Ayah states: you are allowed to marry free, chaste believing women. This Ayah is talking about women who do not commit fornication, as evident by the word `chaste’. (When you have given them their due), This refers to the Mahr, so just as these women are chaste and honorable, then give them their Mahr with a good heart. We should mention here that Jabir bin `Abdullah, `Amir Ash-Sha`bi, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and Al-Hasan Al-Basri stated that when a man marries a woman and she commits illegal sexual intercourse before the marriage is consummated, the marriage is annulled. In this case, she gives back the Mahr that he paid her. Allah said,(Desiring chastity, not illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girl-friends (or lovers).) And just as women must be chaste and avoid illegal sexual activity, such is the case with men, who must also be chaste and honorable. Therefore, Allah said,(…not illegal sexual intercourse’) as adulterous people do, those who do not avoid sin, nor reject adultery with whomever offers it to them.(nor taking them as girl-friends (or lovers),) meaning those who have mistresses and girlfriends who commit illegal sexual intercourse with them.

It should be noted that, sura al-maeda (quran 5) was revealed after sura-noor (quran 24),

At-Tirmidhi recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr said, “The last Surahs to be revealed were Surat Al-Ma’idah and Surat Al-Fath (chapter 48).” At-Tirmidhi commented, “This Hadith is Hasan, Gharib.” and it was also reported that Ibn `Abbas said that the last Surah to be revealed was, (When there comes the help of Allah and the Conquest,) Al-Hakim collected a narration similar to that of At-Tirmidhi in his Mustadrak, and he said, “It is Sahih according to the criteria of the Two Shaykhs and they did not record it.” Al-Hakim narrated that Jubayr bin Nufayr said, “I performed Hajj once and visited `A’ishah and she said to me, `O Jubayr! Do you read (or memorize) Al-Ma’idah ‘ I answered `Yes.’ She said, `It was the last Surah to be revealed. Therefore, whatever permissible matters you find in it, then consider (treat) them permissible. And whatever impermissible matters you find in it, then consider (treat) them impermissible.

So it can be deduced that 24:32 is not an abrogation hence 24:3 still applies and this was mentioned again in 5:5 which was revealed last concerning marring a chaste person.

Al-Shaukani and Al-Tabari interpretations were not given completely in above article to say that marriage with a zania is allowed according to sharia. Also it should be noted that zania means the one who committed fornication or adultery, to what purpose they have committed is immaterial in Islam. Hence a prostitute or a woman committed zina with her boyfriend will not make any difference in the light of sharia as both are zaniyah.

Ibu katheer quotes were not presented in above article for the ayah 24:3 in full , in fact what he said was against the article above which infact questions the reliability of above article. he says as below

The Zani marries not but a Zaniyah or a Mushrikah; and the Zaniyah, none marries her except a Zani or a Mushrik. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers.) Here Allah tells us that the Zani (male who is guilty of illegal sex) does not have intercourse except with a Zaniyah (female who is guilty of illegal sex) or a Mushrikah (female idolator), meaning that no one would go along with him in this action except a sinful woman who is also guilty of Zina, or a Mushrikah who does not think it is unlawful. By the same token,(and the Zaniyah, none marries her except a Zani) a sinful man who is guilty of fornication,(or a Mushrik) (a man) who does not think it is unlawful.(Such a thing is forbidden to the believers.) meaning, indulging in this, or marrying prostitutes, or marrying chaste women to immoral men. Qatadah and Muqatil bin Hayyan said: “Allah forbade the believers from marrying prostitutes.” This Ayah is like the Ayah (about marrying slave-girls):(they should be chaste, not committing illegal sex, nor taking boyfriends.) [4:25] And His saying:(desiring chastity not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends) [5:5]. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, said that a man among the believers asked the Messenger of Allah for permission (to marry) a woman known as Umm Mahzul, who used to commit adultery, and who had stated the condition that she should spend on him. So he asked the Messenger of Allah for permission, or he mentioned the matter to him. The Messenger of Allah recited to him:(The Zani marries not but a Zaniyah or a Mushrikah; and the Zaniyah, none marries her except Zani or a Mushrik. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers.) [24:3]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
Because of the punishment that Allaah has decreed for those who commit zina, He made it haraam for the believers to marry them, as a rebuke to them and because of the sins and bad deeds that they have. … So (Allaah) tells us that no one does that but a zaani or a mushrik. As for the mushrik, he has no faith that will deter him from committing immoral actions or keeping company with those who do them. As for the zaani, his immoral nature prompts him to do that even if he is not a mushrik. Allaah has enjoined us to shun evil and its people so long as they are doing that, and this applies to the zaani. Allaah has stipulated that men should be chaste and not immoral, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “All others are lawful, provided you seek (them in marriage) with Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) from your property, desiring chastity, not committing illegal sexual intercourse” [al-Nisa’ 4:24]. This is something that should not be ignored because the Qur’aan has stated it clearly. As for the prohibition on marrying a zaaniyah, the fuqaha’, such as the companions of Ahmad and others, have discussed it and there are reports concerning it from the salaf. Although the fuqaha’ differed concerning it, those who said it is permissible do not have any reliable evidence. Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (15/316)

With these clear verses from quran and hadith its clear that a chaste believer cannot marry an unchaste.

Those who say, it is permissible to marry an unchaste provided that they have repented for their sin must understand what is the acceptable way of repenting available for such sin.
Following hadith were revealed in shahi muslim, book 17, chapter 10,
Ubida b. as-Samit reported: While we were in the company of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upoi him) he said: Swear allegiance to me that you will not associate anything with Allah, that you will not commit adultery, that you will not steal, that you will not take any life which it is forbidden by Allah to take but with (legal) justification; and whoever among you fulfils it, his reward is with Allah and he who commits any such thing and is punished for it, that will be all atonement for it And if anyone commits anything and Allah conceals (his faultfls), his matter rests with Allah. He may forgive if He likes, and He may punish him if He likes. Number 4235
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters with this addition: “He recited to us the verse pertaining to women, viz, that they will not associate anything with Allah. Number 4236
also Bukhari book 8 volume 81
Narrated Ubada bin As-Samit: I gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet with a group of people, and he said, “I take your pledge that you will not worship anything besides Allah, will not steal, will not commit infanticide, will not slander others by forging false statements and spreading it, and will not disobey me in anything good. And whoever among you fulfill all these (obligations of the pledge), his reward is with Allah. And whoever commits any of the above crimes and receives his legal punishment in this world, that will be his expiation and purification. But if Allah screens his sin, it will be up to Allah, Who will either punish or forgive him according to His wish.” Abu Abdullah said: “If a thief repents after his hand has been cut off, the his witness well be accepted. Similarly, if any person upon whom any legal punishment has been inflicted, repents, his witness will be accepted.” Hadith 793

So its clear that imposition of haad (punishment/flogged) obliterates sin and this is the guaranteed way left. However it should be noted that, prophet said even after this only similar person can marry such people.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said,(A Zani who has been flogged should not marry anyone except someone who is like him.) A similar report was recorded by Abu Dawud in his Sunan.

Ahmed, I agree and disagree. When you are quoting from Quran and Sunnah you are on solid ground. However, you draw conclusions that conflict with what you quoted. For example, the proofs you quoted show (as I have always understood) that the definition of an unchaste person is a prostitute or someone with an actively immoral lifestyle. It does not refer to someone who made mistakes in the past and repented.

Islam is a forgiving religion. Allah constantly emphasizes His mercy and His willingness to forgive. It’s inconsistent with this spirit of forgiveness to say that someone who committed zinaa then repented, is now branded forever with a scarlet “A” (metaphorically) and can never marry a chaste person.

Islam is not a religion that condemns people forever for a mistake, and makes them carry the guilt of a sin forever, as if we are Christians with their doctrine of original sin! SubhanAllah, Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “By the One in Whose Hand my soul is! If you do not commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would commit sins and seek forgiveness from Allah; and Allah will certainly forgive them.”
[Muslim].

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) saying, “Allah, the Exalted, has said: `O son of Adam! I shall go on forgiving you so long as you pray to Me and aspire for My forgiveness whatever may be your sins. O son of Adam! I do not care even if your sins should pile up to the sky and should you beg pardon of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam! If you come to Me with an earthful of sins and meet Me, not associating anything with Me in worship, I will certainly grant you as much pardon as will fill the earth.”’
[At-Tirmidhi].

This is the Sunnah of Allah, and the way of Islam. We are not an Ummah who revile people for the mistakes of their past, or hold grudges, or refuse to forgive.

Regarding the ayah about the chaste marrying the chaste, look again at the quote you provided by Ibn Katheer:

Allah tells us that the Zani (male who is guilty of illegal sex) does not have intercourse except with a Zaniyah (female who is guilty of illegal sex) or a Mushrikah (female idolator), meaning that no one would go along with him in this action except a sinful woman who is also guilty of Zina, or a Mushrikah who does not think it is unlawful. By the same token,(and the Zaniyah, none marries her except a Zani) a sinful man who is guilty of fornication,(or a Mushrik) (a man) who does not think it is unlawful.(Such a thing is forbidden to the believers.) meaning, indulging in this, or marrying prostitutes, or marrying chaste women to immoral men. Qatadah and Muqatil bin Hayyan said: “Allah forbade the believers from marrying prostitutes.”

And your quote by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah:

“Allaah has enjoined us to shun evil and its people so long as they are doing that, and this applies to the zaani.”

***

A person who was a mushrik, then accepted Islam, is forgiven for all his past sins, and is no longer considered a mushrik. Similarly, the person who has made sincere tawbah, and is living a pure Islamic lifestyle, is chaste and is no longer considered a zani or zaniyah.

There is no evidence for your conclusion that only the imposition of the hadd makes a sinner lawful for marriage. As your evidences show, if a person repents from a sin which carries a hadd, and Allah screens his sin, then it is up to Allah whether to forgive or punish the sin. However, we do not have the vision of Allah. We can only go by what is apparent. Therefore, if we see that a person has given up a sinful lifestyle and is living like a good Muslim, then we go by that and accept it.

First of all, you had generalized many issues and presumed certain concepts which I haven’t claimed. Let me clarify them.

Allah is merciful and will forgive any sin except ascribing partners to him. First of all when it comes to a non-muslim, once he/she becomes a Muslim their previous sins were taken out.

Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief) their past will be forgiven.[Quran 8:38].

No doubt that marrying such a person is NOT against sharia even though they had committed zina before they converted to Islam. Infact from sharia perspective marriage according to islam is the accepted marriage and non Muslim marriage contract is not something approved according to islam. With this understanding we know well many companions and even prophet married woman that were not married as per Islamic sharia before embracing Islam. (Eg :quran 60:10)

When it comes to a believer or once become believer rules are not the same, because they know sin such as fornication is haram and it has consequences.

Let me give the hadith you have posted with its commentary so that people may not take this out of context;

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, were you not to commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would commit sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah; and Allah would forgive them”.[Muslim].

Imam nawawi in his commentary to this hadith says as below
This Hadith also tells us that Allah has a profound liking for such people who are penitent and seek pardon for their sins from Him. So much so that if such people cease to exist who neither commit sins nor seek pardon from Him, He will create people who will do so. It does not, however, mean that He likes sins or the sinful persons. What it really means is that He likes penitence and the penitents. This is the true purport of this Hadith.

This hadith says that Allah likes those who want his pardon and as I mentioned above he will forgive everything in this world and everything except ascribing partner in the next.

When it comes to a believer committing sins got its consequences, especially for major sins, because the prescribed haad is the guaranteed way of pardoning. The one who committed adultery gets the death punishment according to sharia and such person no longer be alive to be the husband or wife isn’t? Similarly, the one who committed fornication will get her haad and then not allowed to marry a chaste person if the haad was performed as a method of punishment. Meaning if he/she was caught by the people for such punishment, Even I have posted this hadith earlier

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said,(A Zani who has been flogged should not marry anyone except someone who is like him.) A similar report was recorded by Abu Dawud in his Sunan.

However I do agree with that if the haad was performed upon the confession by the sinner, and then it will be the tawbaa for the sin.

The problem with the scholars now they try to give an easy route, because considerable amount commits fornication due to present social structure and they try to give an escape route. This infact not helping the overall social revival as many commit this sin due to these easy escape routes infact its not. (this is what happened to Christianity and Muslims are following the same), also problems such as divorce take place in the society due to concealing such sins from the partner before marriage.

Now I’ll come to others you have pointed out;

Regarding ibnu kathir commentary you stopped at half way, it continues after you have highlighted as

This Ayah is like the Ayah (about marrying slave-girls): “they should be chaste, not committing illegal sex, nor taking boyfriends.” [4:25] And His saying “desiring chastity not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends” [5:5]……..

So its generalize fornication, not just prostitutes, even those who committed zina with boyfriend or girlfriend or any others are zani or zaniyah. Zina is an action and its not carrying the reason for what purpose it was committed.

in the case of imam Ibn Taymiyah quote; it’s the same what I have mentioned above,

I do not agree with your opinion, i.e a chaste person marrying an unchaste without his/her prescribe haad. Because Haad is the guaranteed method of repentance. Your opinion got many issues, such as zina is a hidden act and the person committed knowingly it is haram may commit again, so what will guarantee that person had repented or changed? Secondly, if it is judge merely on lifestyle what is the time period prescribed for a person to judge the one who committed is really repented or not? Anybody can say just after committing zina, I repented isn’t? These issues will be rectified only by haad because its not an easy situation to face and by the time it is performed the person is forgiven. Therefore if a person committed zina and not performed haad in public, this person cannot be married by a chaste believer because he/she doesn’t have the solid proof the one who committed is forgiven by allah or not. Proof for this understanding is, in a time of doubt, islam prescribes to avoid such action

Verily Halaal is clear, and verily Haraam is clear. And between them there are certain doubtful matters many people are unaware of, therefore, who stays away from doubtful matters he has protected his Deen and honour. And who gets involved in doubtful matters, he would fall into Haraam.’ (Bukhari; Muslim)

Mean time, if a person after committing zina marries a chaste person by hiding their past then clearly he or she is a cheater. Because its clear that one who committed and brought to justice by others cannot marry a chaste and this is similar to the one who commit and keep that to him/her self without any kind of confession

Finally, we must note that prophet encourage to marry virgin by those who are single men. So, it is always better for a chaste believer to marry a virgin. Certainly the one who committed zina and taken the repentance in the means of haad is also not a virgin isn’t ?

Jabir b. ‘Abdullah (Allah be pleased with them) reported: I married a woman during the lifetime of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be. upon him).I met the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), whereupon he said: Jabir, have you married?I said: Yes.He said: A virgin or one previously marrried? I said: With due previously married, whereupon he said: Why did you not marry a virgin with whom you could sport? I said: Allah’s Messenger, I have sisters; I was afraid that she might intervene between me and them, whereupon he said: Well and good, if it is so.A woman is married for four reasons, for her religion, her property, her status, her beauty, so you should choose one with religion. May your hands cleave to dust. (muslim)

Ahmed, you argue that only the imposition of the hadd is a true criterion to determine whether someone has made sincere tawbah. You say, without the hadd, how do we know if the tawbah is sincere? How much time should pass between the sin and the tawbah? Etc.

Answer: these are matters for Allah, not for us. We do not try to peer into someone’s heart and see if they are sincere.

Usama bin Zaid was sent in an expedition, he spoke about one man in the battlefield, he said:
“… I saw one of them, he said “laa ilaaha illallah”. I stabbed him, and after that I felt bad and so told Muhammad (saw) what I did. The Prophet (saw) asked: “did he say laa ilaha illallah, and you killed him?” I said: “He said it, but only out of fear for my sword.” He (saw) asked “did you check his heart to see if he believed it?” he kept on repeating that question until I wished that I was not Muslim yet until that day.” [Muslim V-2 P-107]

We are an Ummah that goes by what is apparent. If it is apparent that a person is living a clean lifestyle, praying, not committing sins, then we accept that at face value. We do not challenge the sincerity of his tawbah, and we do not inquire about what sins a person has committed in the past. That is the way of Islam. No one has a right to inquire of someone what sins he has committed in the past.

Nor should someone willingly reveal what sins he has committed in the past:

Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): said “Avoid these obscenities which Allah has forbidden. Whoever commits any of them, let him be concealed with the concealment of Allah.”

Al-Nawawi said: It is makrooh for the person who is tested with sin to tell anyone else about it. Rather he should give it up, regret it and resolve not to do it again. If he tells his shaykh or a similar person who he hopes can teach him a way out from it or show him how to keep himself from falling into similar sins, or can tell him the reason why he fell into it, or make du’aa’ for him, etc., this is fine. But is it makrooh (to tell someone else) if there is no benefit in doing so.

And Allah knows best.

About the statement of Abu Hurayrah that, “A Zani who has been flogged should not marry anyone except someone who is like him,” the opinion of one sahabi is not enough to derive an Islamic ruling. I respect his opinion, but what other evidence exists to support it?

Wael, you are again generalizing when it comes to trusting a person and confession of sin.

The rule; once a person claiming that he is a muslim, then it has to be taken as true is an establish rule, however this cannot be taken for each and every action such as a person’s claim that she/he had repented from zina without a haad in the case of marriage. If so prophet would have not carried out any of the haad upon confession because their confession itself shows they had repented. wasn’t?

Of course in faith, we have to listen to the people if they claim they are Muslims

O you who have believed, when the believing women come to you as emigrants, examine them. Allah is most knowing as to their faith. And if you know them to be believers, then do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful [wives] for them, nor are they lawful [husbands] for them. …(60:10)

However this cannot be generalized for every other actions. If so, every testimony by people will be considered as true and no need for more than one witness, please note that in many issues that sharia demands for more than one. Mean time how to believe a person committed zina knowingly it is haram may not tell a lie that he/she had repented? Where in sharia a sinner’s testimony is taken?

Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A Believer is not stung from the same hole twice.”(Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)

If we look at the confession of a sin, yes this is different from boasting about their sin. In another hadith prophet said

It was narrated that Saalim ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: I heard Abu Hurayrah say: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All of my ummah will be fine except for those who commit sin openly. Part of committing sin openly is when a man does something at night and Allaah conceals it, but in the morning he says, ‘O So-and-so, last night I did such and such.’ His Lord had covered his sin all night, but in the morning he removed the cover of Allaah.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5721; Muslim, 2990)

When it comes to confession, it also mentioned in many hadiths that people confessed to prophet and taken the prescribed Haad. Im sure you are aware of them. Even the hadith that I have produced earlier insists haad is the guaranteed form of tawbah . Without confession how a person would be able to get his haad?

If we take overall understanding about all these hadiths its clear that, boasting about a person’s sin is not permitted however confession is insisted for those required. Even if a person commits zina, he/she need not to tell this to everyone which will not benefit with that information, in fact this is what not allowed in islam. However need to be told for those who are useful. Concealing sin for cheating not allowed in islam.

Regarding abu hurayrah (ra) opnion that you have mentioned; it’s not his opinion, sorry if I made it to be reflect like that. it is a hadith of prophet. So it is binding for decision

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The adulterer who has been flogged shall not marry save the one like him. AbuMa’mar said: Habib al-Mu’allim narrated (this tradition) to us on the authority of Amr ibn Shu’ayb. (Abu dawood Book 11, Number 2047)

With this understanding all what I have mentioned are still valid, Allah knows best

Please not that according to the article you have published here, some companion had difference of opinion concerning “an unchaste marrying an unchaste”. Even in that, some companion had the opinion its not allowed, if so can you imagine “unchaste marrying a chaste”?
,

This is all ridiculous to me. First off, only the person committing the sin knows what they have done. A chaste person will never know what has happened in the past. I know for me, as a muslimah, a man will never confess…and reality, they shouldnt. Ones sin is their personal issue especially if they have repented. What is the point of dua and repentance if you are still punished in the future?? Does that make any logical sense?? Also, to assume one has fornicated due to their way of life is another aspect of islamic culture which only heightens the issue of judging others.

To know if one has actually committed a sin, one must present 4 witnesses. Ummmm, something impossible to do since this sin is most likely committed in sheer privacy. In any case, if a person repents, then who are we to judge?????

Its not ridiculous to everyone, you have to read carefully with evidences to understand. Any logic with partial understanding is illogical.

Fornication or adultery is between god and slave as long as he/she never engages in marriage where another person is involved. Because marring a person demands chastity provided that he/she is chaste. So If an unchaste marries a chaste without revealing his/her situation. It is clear cheating.

“Whoever bears arms against us is not one of us, and whoever cheats us is not one of us.” (Saheeh Muslim)

Sin cannot be generalized, different sins got different punishment and different approaches are in practice for dealing with sinners, also boasting about sin is prohibited but confession is not, there are many hadith reagarding this. If a person breaches a right of others he/she is not forgiven by god until the person forgive.

Getting a haad (as punishment) is different and confession ( as tawbah) is different. For your information Self confession not demands 4 witnesses even for implementing Haad.

This is about honesty, nothing impossible in it for a true believer
To the moderator: my last post was not published. I am not worried about sinners; I am worried about those who become victims to sinners. I did my job , rest of the responsibility you can bear in front of allah

Mahdia I completely agree with you and with the author. Allah and Allah alone knows the sincerity of our repentance. Earthly punishment is prescribed in the case where there are at least 4 witnesses, not witnesses through hear-say, but witnesses that all saw it happen at the same time, same angle etc. In other words, it applies when quite a number of people witness the act up close and personal. Obviously in these cases, the people committing the sin don’t seem to be bothered about who sees it. Furthermore, on the issue of a person actually confessing, there are many very highly regarded hadiths in which Muhammad (asws) turned away these people several times. To repent, doesn’t mean to receive our earthly punishment, it means to ask Allah for forgiveness with the intention of not committing the act again, and then go forth to do good deeds in the name of Allah.

Now I am no scholar, but I have read what many scholars have to say and the majority seem to be of the same mind as Wael. You can say that the Quran is the first point of reference, but that means nothing at all without interpretation which gives it meaning. We can all have our own individual interpretations, and the interpretations of Muhammad (asws) as well as those of many scholars.

From what I have read, and the strong and consistently established ideals of our religion, how could someone possibly think that “chaste” only refers to a person who has not in the past committed zina? You can quote 100 different verses saying that “fornicators” cannot marry this person etc etc, but I can find twice that number saying that Allah (swt) forgives all as long as we repent sincerely and return to the right path. And by “forgives all” there are many verses and hadiths that explicitly state that once you have repented it is as though the sin was never committed. If Allah (swt) has said it was never committed, then who are we as humans to say otherwise?

“Fornicator” “unchaste” do not refer to people who have repented. If I quit my profession today I can no longer say I am an engineer, I WAS and engineer. PAST. Not only that, but if Allah wants us to return to the righteous path and go on to do good deeds and grow in Islam and raise our children in Islam, what sense would it make to only allow a repentant “fornicator” to marry a fellow fornicator or a non believer? I mean sure if the other person is too repentant, then it’s fine. But why on earth would the word “unchaste” encompass both remorseless fornicators/ adulterers and repentant people who are now on the right path? To pair these two together, these two people who are obviously going in different directions makes no sense. The other option of a repentant fornicator marrying a non believer is just as strange. Allah would not have asked us to repent and return to the right path if that meant that we could not marry and raise children with those of similar beliefs. It doesn’t make much sense does it?

Some people just put way too much stock in the most literal interpretations, even when there are stronger and irrefutable references to Allah’s infinite mercy. The fact that a Christian can convert to Islam and be absolved of all their sins before they turned to Islam is the same. It’s not as though a Christian is not taught that fornication/adultery is a great transgression. The point is that they came back to the correct path of Islam.

So to some up, to take “unchaste/fornicator” to mean those who have committed zina just does not coincide with the message of Islam. We can always come back, through sincere repentance, through good deeds, through living an Islamic life. How can you expect this to be done within the constraints of marriage to an unrepentant sinner or a non believer? Allah knows best, Allah knows his creation and what is in our hearts. It is NOT for us to judge the sincerity of a person. Some people on here seem to be offended by the fact that a virgin could be paired with a person who in the past made a mistake (for which they have repented). To these people I say, YOU have a choice. NOBODY is telling you that you MUST wed these people. Like the first commenter that blackmailed Wael, there is no need for that. How he dealt with that situation is up to him, but rather he aimed to impose his views as law. Aside from that, apparently his spouse lied to him about whether she had slept with someone before they married. That again is your own issue of trust. Virginity does not mean a great marriage or sex life for that matter. Respect for one another and each others mind, soul and person is what is important. Along with other similarities and values. Just because a person made the mistake of fornication, it DOES NOT mean that they do not respect the value of saving sex until marriage. And as for the question asked, I perceived no sense of one sidedness from the way he asked the question. He clearly could already have repented himself, and is enquiring as to whether he can be married to the girl. He seems to be asking the question of whether it is permissible to marry with specific reference to whether she too needs to repent.

If repentance is enough for our creator to wipe us clear of the sin, then why isn’t it good enough for us? If your feelings towards having a virginal spouse come from feelings of jealousy, or feelings that you as a virgin are owed the same then fair enough. Again, nobody is forcing anything on you, and it is your decision to make. Wael NEVER even suggested that he condoned premarital sex. But in my humble opinion, a person who commits a sin and deeply acknowledges this sin and repents sincerely is not a person that should be shunned, or forced to choose from the non believers or unrepentant people. Repentance is a beautiful thing, and I don’t think that people understand that for a person to repent is a significant thing. It is much easier to allow ones pride and feelings of denial to convince them that they have not committed any sin. The Quran, the divine word of Allah, our creator who knows our temptations, our vices and our hearts, does not perpetuate the message “you have committed a heinous sin and there is no use in returning to the true Islam”. The opposite is true, again and again and again, the message conveyed is “Repent, turn yourself to the right path, and Allah (swt) will guide you and welcome you back”. Those who continually site verses that are isolated from the rest of the scripture from which they preach are not proving anything. We cannot take one verse and contrast it to another, it is ONE divine message and the verses are to be taken as ONE divine message, we should interpret them as such. Its like simultaneous algebraic equations. You interpret and solve with respect to all the information you are given at once, not broken down so that you take it upon yourself to come up with your own meanings for words and impose it on everyone else. Fortunately, from the many opinions of Muslims and scholars that I have come across, these people seem to be in a small minority.

I am a muslim man of 34 years old.Today I commit Zina and I regret it very much. I have fought the temptations for years. I have wanted to married and be pious for the rest of my life, but I cannot afford to marry, because I don’t have a full time job and no savings. I have expressed my intentions to various religious scholars and leaders about my intention of getting married and not fall into the trap of Shaytan. Today is my worst day in my life. I can’t stop crying!!! I have registered with some masjids and marriage websites but no body seems interested in marrying me. I am doing tuaba asking Allah to forgive me as I plan not to do it never again in my life. All I was praying for before today was to meet a good muslim woman to marry and ask ALLAH to bless us with healthy children. I am feeling as if my whole life has crashed(still sobing). The pressure of modern day requirement for marriage has make some of us who cannot afford to save money not able to married. Please can some one give me the best advise on how to coorect my mistakes as from now.

Dear Ali!
It is really sad what happened with you but at the same time it is good sign that you regret your sin. You know zina is a thing which takes a person away from right from right path but you turned back that is really very nice. I personally do not practice these things but I guarantee you that if you will follow them then yot will have an easier and better life.
1. Observe fasts with one day gap between them or atleast on each monday and thursday.
2. Try to be social welfare worker.
May Allah forgive your sin and give you a pious life. For the rest of your life.

My question is can i marry a girl who has committed Zina with someone before and she regret it. she said i have declared every fact to you related to my past to show my repentance and i’m and i’ll be always truth full and honest to you.
I am however never been into such blunder throughout my life.

All you people that claim it is ‘unfair’, ‘unjust’ or ‘cheating’ because someone in the past committed zina and has turned their lives around for the future need to learn what Allah has said about forgiveness and repentance. Then who are we to challenge such divine scripture Nauzubillah. Seems too many people have a limited grasp of the topic overall but are willing to sit back and judge.

Brothers in Islam, we have different opinions about this and even scholars could have different idea about this topic because we are just a servant, not a God. Only Allah knows everything. But dont misinterpret what I said. We are being ordered to read and understand Quran, Hadith.

I could agree with ahmed about what he said earlier. Its clearly stated in Quran what is prohibited and what is halaal. Now in the case with Ali, I understand what you feel and I really do appreaciate that you repent to Allah. This is a remider to all of us that Allah made his word and what he promised came true. What happened to u might be the punishment here on earth or Allah could have better plan for you, Allah might reserve a better one for you, who knows. [i said the world COULD] (Allah and Allah is alone knows best)(and sorry to Ali if I made him as an example if u were offended . May Allah forgive us all InshaAllah.)
“That being said to us Muslims to choose the person we’ll marry someday. They might repent and not to do it ever again but it might come out to their child to be so choose the father/mother of your children
That might be their punishment for doing a great sin. (Allah knows best).
Now if ur still insisting, its up to you. Allah and Allah alone knows everything.

“That being said to us Muslims to choose the person we’ll marry someday. They might repent and not to do it ever again but it might come out to their child to be so choose the father/mother of your children
That might be their punishment for doing a great sin. (Allah knows best).”

Brother are you suggesting this kind of guy should never get married?

Allah forgives,… when Shaitan challenged him he vowed he will forgive.

… How much i wish i was never born … how much i wish i could just turn to sand forever …

only hope is Allah …. and will always be the first and last hope there is

I would like to add in ur oppion islam that if a man/woman does repent to Allah, They will be able to get married a chaste man/woman if their partners accept them( Allah knows best). Just like what haitham said, what if Allah really forgives them, who are we to question that?

Another is that the last paragraph you were talking about was some of those sentence were just also an oppinion of some scholar. As I heard from them, we should also becareful and be knowledgable about the family of the person we will marry soon thats further explanation they gave to a specific hadith/Ayat but I dont really remember it what hadith/Ayat. As what you said, scholars have different understanding and oppinions, Allah and All knowing Allah knows best.